Chapter 124 Champions League tough battle + national team report
The team's poor form has led to increasing doubts about Mancini and Inter Milan.
Turin Sports Daily even bluntly stated that Inter Milan has withdrawn from the Serie A championship race:
Before the halfway point, Inter Milan was already 7 points behind, and it was hard to believe that they could still threaten Juventus's title defence.
Poor rotation and weak bench, as well as Mancini's paranoia, were the main reasons for Inter Milan's loss.
Compared to Turin Sports Daily, Gazzetta dello Sport's criticism mainly focused on Mancini's use of players:
"Mancini needs to give other players more trust and opportunities, and not rely on just one lineup to win the world, especially in the attacking midfielder position.
Lin Feng has started and played the entire game in many consecutive games. You have to know that he is just a child. Mancini puts the pressure of the entire team on his shoulders, which can easily overwhelm him. "
The reporter's eyes are quite sharp. When Adriano was injured and unable to play, Mancini almost regarded Lin Feng as the absolute core of Inter Milan.
But Inter Milan's intention was too obvious, resulting in Lin Feng being more easily targeted by opponents.
If Adriano was present at this time, with his deterrent power, the opponent would definitely not dare to double-team Lin Feng so unscrupulously.
Mancini actually cares a lot about criticism from the outside world, especially when the team's performance is not good, he will also reflect on whether he has done something wrong.
Due to his lack of coaching experience, Mancini has not been able to handle the problem of team rotation well.
The main reason is that he does not have much trust in the substitutes and rotation players, and trusts the strength of the main players more.
If the team's record is good, he might try to make some rotations.
But once the team's performance declines, he will be more obsessive in arranging all the main players to play in order to restore the performance.
However, this method of using the main players to the utmost will backfire when the team faces a busy schedule and multiple fronts.
When the main players' physical fitness and condition have seriously declined, the help they can bring to the team on the court is even less than that of the substitutes!
At least the substitute players have no problem with their physical fitness, they can run and rush, and they are not like the main players, who are powerless and only defend with their eyes.
But for Mancini, the next game is the crucial battle of the Champions League.
He was really a little hesitant to make bold rotations in such an important game.
Fortunately, Adriano's injury has almost recovered and he can play.
……
On November 11, the fourth round of the Champions League group stage kicked off.
Inter Milan will host Porto at home.
The current qualifying situation in Group H is chaotic, with all four teams having the possibility of qualifying.
Although Inter Milan still ranks first in the group, after the unexpected loss to Porto in the last game, Inter Milan's lead is not as big as before.
If they lose this game to their opponent again, they might lose the top spot in the list.
The team might even collapse due to consecutive losses!
Moratti's patience with Mancini has reached its limit, and Inter Milan's championship situation in Serie A was already very bad.
If they fail in the Champions League again, then they will have nothing, and it will be only natural for Mancini to be fired.
The team's record will inevitably be affected by a sudden change of coach in the middle of the season.
If the new coach takes over and completely overturns Mancini's tactics without thinking twice, Inter Milan will face at least two to three months of chaos.
So even though Inter Milan is still ranked first in the group and in the top four in the league, it is actually on the edge of the cliff.
They can't afford to lose this game!
Faced with such an important game, Mancini naturally did not dare to make bold rotations.
Except for Adriano replacing Cruz in the starting lineup, he arranged almost the same lineup as the previous game in other positions.
Although the team lost to the opponent in the last round, Inter Milan has maintained an unbeaten record of 7 wins and 1 draw when facing Portuguese teams at home in history.
This gave them some psychological comfort!
At the pre-match press conference, Porto coach Adrianse boasted that he would break this record at Meazza and take three points from Inter Milan:
"Victory? Why not?"
"We have found the opponent's weakness, and the opponent is not in good shape. I am very confident that I can lead the team to a beautiful victory!"
"Historical records? Haha, those are just things to give courage to the weak. If the data is useful, then what is the point of competition? The real strong always speak with their own strength!"
Compared to the opponent's bold words, Mancini's statement in the interview with reporters before the game seemed a bit conservative and even too timid:
"My team has rested for three days, and we are ready to face a strong opponent!"
Mancini didn't dare to say too much. Obviously, the team's previous consecutive draws hit his self-confidence and made him doubt the team and his own strength.
But in a pre-match interview, which is an occasion where people are specifically trying to make harsh remarks to both sides, if you don't even dare to say anything harsh, it will seriously undermine the morale of the team!
As expected, after Mancini's interview was reported, there was a lot of criticism from the outside world:
"Mancini's timidity makes people doubt Inter Milan's current state. Although it has been three days since the last league game, is it really enough for Inter Milan's players to fully recover in just three days?"
This report from Gazzetta dello Sport expressed the thoughts of many people.
After being widely criticized by the outside world, Mancini seemed to realize that he had made a mistake, so he immediately stood up and tried to make amends:
"I believe my team is the best and I am confident that I can lead them to beat Porto and Lazio!"
Lazio is Inter Milan's next opponent in Serie A and also the last opponent in this devilish schedule.
But facing Porto and Lazio one after another in such a short period of time, it is very difficult to defeat them all. Given Inter Milan's current state, it can even be said to be impossible.
So after Mancini said this, the outside world generally did not believe him, and instead became more pessimistic about Inter Milan.
The Porto people really did not lie. As soon as the game started, Porto took the initiative to attack Inter Milan.
This is the first time a young lady has gotten into a bridal sedan!
In Inter Milan's last game at the Dragon Stadium, Porto played very conservatively. They stayed in their own half for the first 20 minutes and did not dare to step out of line.
But when they arrived at Inter Milan's home ground, they became more radical.
Lawless and against the will of Heaven!
But just 16 minutes later, Porto striker Almeida's left-foot free kick from 30 meters in front of the goal went straight into the upper right corner of the goal.
The score became 0:1. Porto kept their word and actually took the lead away from home!
The Inter Milan fans in the stands looked confused and unfamiliar with their team's performance.
What exactly happened to Inter Milan?
After two draws in a row, are we going to lose this game again?
Inside the stadium box, the team owner Moratti's nose was almost crooked with anger.
"If you can't win this game, get Mancini out!"
At this moment, Moratti's patience with Mancini was finally exhausted.
Mancini was obviously well aware that his situation was very dangerous. He stood on the sidelines, anxiously shouting at the players on the field, urging them to attack.
Inter Milan did not fail to try hard. In fact, Adriano had completed three shots in the first half, but to no avail.
In the 20th minute, realizing that he could not fight alone, Ade selflessly passed the ball to Figo after a successful breakthrough. However, the Portuguese obviously failed to live up to his expectations, as Figo's close-range shot hit the post.
In the 25th minute, Lin Feng's long shot caused the goalkeeper to lose the ball, but unfortunately his teammate's follow-up shot was a little slow and the ball was cleared by the opponent's defender.
In the 29th minute, Inter Milan's corner kick was sent into the penalty area, and Favalli's header from the center was slightly higher than the crossbar.
Unknowingly, Inter Milan had formed a siege on Porto, and the game was almost turning into a half-time offense and defense drill.
In the commentary booth, the Italian commentator sighed:
"After Porto took the lead, we couldn't see Cesar anymore. I was worried that he might catch a cold!"
Inter Milan's offensive pressure was too great. Porto wanted to press forward, but they were simply unable to push the front line outward.
At this time, around Porto's goal, in addition to the forwards who took turns attacking, midfielders such as Lin Feng, Veron and Cambiasso also frequently inserted themselves into the goal and completed long shots.
Throughout the first half, Inter Milan fired 13 shots, 5 of which were on target, but none of them scored a single goal.
On the other hand, the opponent only had 4 shots, 1 of which was on target, but still scored a goal.
Inter Milan completely overwhelmed their opponents in terms of momentum, but were also severely suppressed by their opponents in terms of score.
Although being suppressed in their own half and unable to get out did not fit the image of a strong team as described by Porto people, the advantage in the score made it impossible for those who wanted to criticize them to find a reason.
Porto has always played like this. No matter whether the scene looks good or not, just tell me whether they won or not, right?
But it's only halftime, it's a little too early to say we've won the game.
During the halftime break, Mancini thought for a long time and finally made a bold decision:
Replace Recoba with Cruz and let Veron move to the left to play as a winger.
He used to always use Cruz as Adriano's substitute, but now, the team is in desperate need of goals.
So he adopted the simplest and most brutal method - stacking forwards!
He began to try to get the two of them to play together to see if there was any chemistry between them?
It turned out that he was overthinking it. Not only did the two of them not have any chemical reaction when they played together, but they also affected each other's performance.
The opponent's backcourt was already densely populated, and both of them were forwards with strong offensive awareness, and they often ran together tacitly.
But in this case, they will definitely be surrounded by defensive players, and their teammates will have no way to pass the ball to them, which makes the team's offense even more difficult to pose a threat.
Adriano has more obvious speed and physical advantages, while Cruz has a stronger sense of smell in front of the goal.
Adriano can use his breakthroughs to create opportunities and assist his teammates to score goals.
But how could Adriano be so humble and serve as a supporting role for others?
The game was already at the 75th minute, the score was still 0:1, and Inter's attack was still a mess.
Inter Milan fans in the stands even started to turn against the home team and booed them.
Seeing that his teammates on the front line were unreliable, Lin Feng had to do it himself.
In the 74th minute, Figo couldn't find an opportunity on the right and passed the ball back to the middle. After Lin Feng received the ball in front of the penalty area, he cut sideways and changed direction continuously. After passing two defensive players, he shot directly at the top of the arc.
The long shot was powerful and the angle was very tricky, but Porto's goalkeeper was very focused and tried his best to save the ball.
The ball fell into the penalty area and was caught by Adriano. He couldn't turn around, and seeing Lin Feng rushing into the penalty area, he understood and passed the ball back to him.
With a loud bang, Lin Feng shot the ball and it flew towards the goal again!
If one kick doesn’t work, try again!
This shot was closer and more powerful than the previous one.
The Porto goalkeeper, who had just made a save, had no time to react and could only hope that the opponent would miss the shot.
In his opinion, it is definitely not an easy task to control the angle when the goal is being bombarded with such heavy artillery at such a close distance!
With a loud bang, the sound of the football hitting the crossbar confirmed his guess.
But then, the sound of the football hitting the net was heard, proving that his judgment was wrong.
The score on the field became 1:1, and Inter Milan finally equalized the score.
A huge cheer broke out in the Meazza Stadium. The fans, who had been suppressed for more than 70 minutes, could finally vent their emotions at this moment.
"That's it!"
"awesome!"
"Sure enough, only Lin Feng is reliable!"
……
On the sidelines, Mancini clenched his fists and roared after seeing Lin Feng score a long-range shot.
He was extremely nervous just now and really thought that his coaching career was over.
Lin Feng's goal helped him save his life.
But that's not enough!
We need to score one more goal to win the game. A draw is not the best result, victory is!
On the court, there were people who thought the same as him.
After scoring the goal, Lin Feng did not waste time celebrating. Instead, he immediately rushed into the goal, picked up the football and ran back, while also calling out to his teammates, asking them not to waste time.
There is not much time left for Inter Milan, they must seize the last minute to score another goal!
"Return to defense, everyone return to defense!"
The head coach of Porto could no longer be arrogant at this moment. The momentum shown by the opponent made him feel like he was facing a hungry tiger.
He no longer had any hope of winning.
But at least they have to take away a draw here, otherwise, it will be very difficult for Porto, who only have 3 points in ten games, to qualify from the group.
In the final moments of the game, the entire Inter Milan team pressed forward, even the goalkeeper passed the midfield, acted as the last defender and participated in the attack.
But Porto's defense was very tenacious and they remained standing despite Inter Milan's fierce attack.
In the 83rd minute, Mancini made his final substitution, replacing Samuel with Mihajlovic.
Mihajlovic has rarely played this season, but at this most critical moment, he is still the most trustworthy person.
And Mihajlovic did not let Mancini down!
In the 88th minute, Mihajlovic took a corner kick from the left and accurately found his teammate lurking in the penalty area. Cruz jumped high and headed the ball into the goal, changing the score to 2:1!
When Cruz scored the goal, Mancini slid on his knees passionately on the sidelines, and the Inter fans in the stands had already gone crazy!
"Cruz!"
"Cruz!"
"Cruz!"
Countless fans shouted his name loudly and applauded and cheered for Inter Milan's super substitute.
This season, Cruz has scored 9 goals for the team, which is even 3 goals higher than the main striker Adriano!
Thanks to Cruz's winning goal, Inter Milan defeated Porto 2:1 and got the precious three points!
After getting these three points, Inter Milan's qualifying situation began to become clear again.
In another match, Glasgow Rangers drew 2:2 with Artmedia.
Inter Milan currently tops Group H with 9 points, while Glasgow Rangers and Artmedia have the same points, 5 points each.
After losing this game, Porto still has only 3 points and is at the bottom of the group.
For Inter Milan, they only need to win one of the next two games to advance to the next round.
For Porto, they must win the next two games to have a chance of advancing.
The huge difference in situation between the two sides made it impossible for Porto players to be arrogant anymore.
After the game, Mancini praised Lin Feng:
“We had a difficult time in the first half, our set-piece defense had some flaws and our offense also had some problems.
But fortunately, we adjusted in time. The most gratifying thing is that Lin Feng's performance is still outstanding. He is an indispensable presence in Inter Milan's frontcourt. Without him, we probably wouldn't have won this victory. "
Reporters were no longer surprised by Mancini's praise of Lin Feng.
A young player who has achieved such outstanding performance at such a young age will be praised to the sky by any head coach.
Guardiola expressed his empathy for this point.
Meeting the best player in his best years has made Guardiola always obsessed with Messi, his white moonlight.
Even after leaving Barcelona for many years, he still talks about Messi. No matter what question the reporter asks him, he can always turn it back to Messi.
For Mancini, Lin Feng's position in his mind is probably similar to Messi's position in Guardiola's heart!
When asked whether he would choose to make Cruz a starter or consider playing him as a double striker with Adriano like today, Mancini said:
"Kroos and Adriano? Both are great strikers, they can coexist, but it takes some time to get used to each other!"
When some people are happy, others are sad. The best performers in this game were Lin Feng and Cruz, while the performance of Adriano, who started the game, was not so satisfactory.
At the exit of Meazza, Ade, who was stopped by reporters, said gloomily:
"Winning is the most important thing, I'm happy, there's no problem."
When reporters questioned him about his stern face and his lack of smile when the team won the game, Ade said:
"When you stop saying unfair things to me, I will be able to laugh again."
After saying this, he rudely pushed the reporter away and walked away.
There were a total of 16 games in the Champions League and the league, but Ade only scored in 3 games.
Although 6 goals is a lot, compared with last season, or even compared with his substitute Kroos, Ade's problem is still very serious.
His scoring efficiency has seriously declined!
…………
But Lin Feng didn't care about these things.
After finishing the game with Porto, he immediately returned to the locker room, took a shower, packed his things, and headed straight to the airport.
There are less than 3 days left until the knockout round of the East Asian Games, and Lin Feng must hurry back to report to the national team.
The East Asian Games have already begun. In the group stage, the Chinese national football team defeated Macau and Hong Kong 10:0 and 2:0 respectively, securing a place in the group stage.
But in the last round of the group match against North Korea, the Chinese national team, missing main players such as Lin Feng, lost 0:1 to their opponents and suffered a defeat.
This put Zhu Guanghu under a lot of pressure, and he was looking forward to Lin Feng and others coming back to save the situation!
(End of this chapter)
